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NEW PHILADELPHIA - With the suicide rate in Schuylkill County on the rise, representatives of the medical community are reaching out to the public with information, education and advice.

"And from what we can tell, there are no major trends. It affects people from all walks of life and all ages," Katherine Schuck, a Schuylkill County deputy coroner, said Wednesday.

In an effort to raise awareness about the issue and reach out to victims of depression, representatives of the Schuylkill County Suicide Prevention Task Force are holding a public forum.

The public is invited to a free lecture and luncheon on the topic from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 18 at Simon Kramer Institute, 15 Alliance St., New Philadelphia.

Speakers will include Schuylkill County Coroner Dr. David J. Moylan and Deborah Heim, director of the Schuylkill County Child and Adolescent Service System Program.

According to the website for the U.S. Census Bureau at census.gov, the population in Schuylkill County in 2012 was 147,063.

"From 2002 to 2008, there were on average 18 suicides per year in the county. Then in 2009, the year after The Great Recession if you will, it jumped up to 35," Moylan said Wednesday.

The numbers have been on the rise in recent years. In 2010, there were 19. In 2011, 24. In 2012, there were 32. So far in 2013, there were 14, Schuck said.

"So we're probably on track to get 30 this year," Moylan said.

Moylan said his staff is reviewing data to determine if there are any trends in suicide cases.

"I know from working in the coroner's office that even people in their 80s are starting to commit suicide, either because of depression or loneliness or perhaps because of financial difficulties," Schuck said.

Schuck said the forum is open to anyone.

"I look at it as an outreach program. And I believe the door is open to everybody. We want to reach out to as many people as we can, especially anybody that is around people, from teachers to pastors to officers to folks who are just watching over their neighbors. This will give you some awareness of key signs and perhaps put them in a direction where they will be able to obtain the crisis intervention they may need," Schuck said.

One way to help people who are suffering depression is simply to encourage them to talk out their troubles, Schuck said. "Ask them how they're feeling. If somebody says 'I wish I was dead' you might ask them 'tell me about that feeling.' Try to get them to talk it out, to open up that door, to express that," Schuck said.

Heim, Moylan and Schuck are members of the Schuylkill County Suicide Prevention Task Force.

The Task Force was developed in 2004 as a subcommittee of the Schuylkill County Vision Mental Health Committee. Its mission is to provide public information, reduce the stigma of accessing services and train providers in the recognition of suicidal behavior and provision of timely services. This Task Force has addressed the high suicide rate in the county through public education forums, conferences and creating a speakers bureau, according to the website for the state Youth Suicide Prevention Initiative at paspi.org.

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